Dachshund UN, a performance piece being stage by Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage festival, features live dogs as UN delegates.

Highlights from the Dachshund UN that was held at Toronto's Enwave Theatre on. In sort of parody/satire performace, small dogs were placed into a model UN set and left to their own devices for the pleasure of a dog loving audience.

The opening night of Dachshund UN at Harbourfront Centre’s Enwave Theatre featured a cast of 36 dogs, all of them dachshunds in a variety of shapes and sizes, re-enacting a meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

It’s a simple concept. Some choral music with a martial tone and then the curtain rises on four tiers of dogs — apparently a replica of the UN office in Geneva — and then the audience watches the dogs, talks loudly and snaps photos throughout, and the dogs stare back, mostly in bafflement.

The delegate for the United States was the most vocal — some might even say belligerent — throughout, while the others licked, sniffed, yawned, took occasional naps and munched on treats (provided by helpers below). In other words, just like humans in similar circumstances — except for the butt-sniffing.

Several incidents of attempted détente were peremptorily halted before things got too far.

After 50 minutes, the curtain came down and the audience applauded appreciatively though the air was redolent with a distinctive pong.

Audience reaction was largely positive.

“It was pretty interesting. Nothing really happens is kind of part of the point, I think. We’re all really excited when we get in there and then nothing really happens, which kind of follows the trajectory of the real UN,” said Aram Collier, 34.

“Everybody got really excited when the dogs started humping,” he noted.

“I loved it. I’m not a dog lover, which I know saying that in this audience could get me killed. But yeah, I came here for experimental theatre and that’s what I got. I was really happy that there was no narrative and they (dogs) were able to kind of dictate the pace on their own and nothing was forced,” said Suzanne Carte, 38.

“It’s kind of like when you stare at a white wall and you start to see gradations in the colour and you start to notice the brush strokes and the shadows. You make this interesting by looking at it because, in and of itself, it’s a bunch of dogs sitting in chairs. But it’s still really cool,” said Tara Zachariah, 33.

Tina Rasmussen, artistic director of World Stage, Harbourfront Centre’s annual contemporary arts festival, said the show, which runs until March 3, “is not a stunt, it is a serious piece of work.”

Developed by Australian artist Bennett Miller, it was the North American premiere of the show and the first time it has been performed indoors in a theatre, Rasmussen said.

“What I hope it (show) does is capture a spirit of fun and chaos but, at the same time, makes you think about an amazing social institution (the United Nations) that may or may not be functioning properly,” Rasmussen said.

Last fall, Rasmussen and her staff embarked on a recruitment campaign to find dachshunds for the performance, conducting a total of 225 interviews with dog owners and their pets.

The 117 dogs selected come from 38 cities across Ontario, Quebec and upper New York State, though the festival received inquiries from Pennsylvania, Virginia and as far as away as Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Rasmussen said she believes Bennett’s motivation for choosing dachshunds, instead of other breeds, is because of their physical shape, the long weiner-shaped bodies and stubby legs.

“The way (dachshunds) are anatomically designed, are they already at a disadvantage? By populating them at the United Nations, what question does that pose about crippling our own system?” she said.

Rasmussen said the other reason to stage Dachshund UN was “to bring people into the theatre that never go.”

“We’re such a ‘dog’ town. People are crazy about their dogs. I just want people to be excited about coming to the theatre. That’s my whole mission in my life and my work. If this is something that will help people get to know about World Stage, then that’s what I need to do,” she added.

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